Top 5 things we ate in the Twin Cities area this week

Taylor Swift cake from Something Sweet by Maddie Lu

Last week, the momentum and fans ahead of Taylor Swift’s two-night stop in Minneapolis on her Iras Tour rose to a fever. At Something Sweet by Maddie Lu in Coon Rapids, that meant flights of sweets saluting the singer and her legion of fans.

Something Sweet by Maddie Lu was founded in 2015 by Maddie Carlos and her mother, Lori Carlos. It’s grown to include an outpost at Duluth’s Miller Hill Mall and Maddie Lu’s just-opened Macarons in Blaine. Maddie is a Le Cordon Bleu alumnus and has won two Food Network competitions with her amazing desserts.

Desserts at the bakery included cookies decorated like Taylor’s album covers, and chocolate chip cookies frosted with the famous lyrics, “Hi. It’s me. I’m the problem. It’s me.” A six-pack of Sweet Cupcakes ($19) has flavors and insider tales Swifties will appreciate—including a red velvet flavor and lavender haze design. Two featured images: Taylor’s cat and Mrs. Swift herself on a white cake with vanilla buttercream. The desserts were a perfect sugar rush to kick up the excitement of the show a few more notches. (Joey Summers)

12772 Riverdale Blvd., Coon Rapids, 763-323-3236, somethingsweetcakes.smartonlineorder.com

Cauliflower soufflé at Maison Margaux

There’s a lot going on at David Fhima’s bustling new Moulin Rouge-inspired restaurant. Bright and airy French brasserie on the main floor adjacent to the welcoming lounge and patio. Upper level event space, filled with light. an impressive wine cellar and a luxurious Underground Bar with its own menu. There’s a lot to take in – and that’s before you even take a seat.

We got an early seat at the bar, where the menu is, of course, French. You’ll find many favorites – pommes frites, soupe a l’oignon gratinée, salade nicoise, frog legs, ratatouille, bouillabaisse and soufflés, among others. (Go with a group; the more people, the more dishes to share.) Because cheese makes everything better, the Cauliflower, Gruyere, and Chevre Souffle ($19) was on my must-try list. The Gruyère was perfectly light and fluffy, and played nicely with the firmer cauliflower and chevre, making every puffy morsel deliciously balanced. We enjoyed it as a shareable side to save room for other dishes we wanted to savor, but when paired with an order of beans ($14), it would make a meatless main dish, too.

Save room for dessert and make a double-headed soufflé with Chocolate Soufflé ($14). Because chocolate makes everything better, too. (Nicole Hvidston)

224 N. 1st St., MPLS., 612-900-1800, maisonmargauxmpls.com

Bagel from ElMar’s New York Pizza

When a pizzeria opened in the summer of 2020 with a special water filtration system that supposedly mimics the chemical composition of New York City tap water, East Coast expats from Twin Cities like myself immediately wondered: Will it be the next bagel?

I wasn’t the only one. “We always thought we’d open a bagel shop after a pizzeria,” ElMar co-founders and former Staten Islanders Nicole and Michael Elmaraghy ​​wrote in an email. However, this idea was put on hold due to the demands of running a restaurant and having a third son. “We were still starving for bread in New York,” they said, “and yet, something had to be done.”

Three years later, we have New York water donuts at the Plymouth Strip mall.

ElMar’s now operates a bagel pop-up three times a week (Thursdays and Fridays from 7:30-10am and Sundays from 9am-noon). These giant specimens—crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside—achieve a light delicacy I haven’t encountered in the near decade of my twin stint, where the small, dense local preference seems to be. These are the closest to the NJ corner store bagels I grew up with, and the first bite was like finding home.

“It’s New York as anyone can make it, besides cooking it in pizza ovens,” said the El-Maraghi family. “More exclusivity, though!”

The hand-rolled, kettle-boiled donuts are $3 each, and can be plain or topped with onions, sesame, or everything. I brought a bag of it home to freeze for later, and took a bag of cream cheese ($5) to eat in the parking lot. You can also order your bread as a ship for a bodega-style steamy egg sandwich ($7-$10), which is a very good idea.

If you want coffee with your bagel, you’re in luck. The very busy and charming Fox and Pantry Cafe is next door and serves a long list of creative lattes and breakfast desserts. Plymouth Strip Shopping Center. (Sharyn Jackson)

15725 N. 37th Street, Plymouth, elmarsnypizza.com

Roast chicken with morels at Änna Bistro

It’s like going off the beaten path to Marine in St. Croix touring a movie set. Historic little main street is enough to bring in a charming person. There’s a general store, a post office, a sign for an ice cream parlor around the corner and at the end, a stately black and white building with a small side deck: this is Änna’s Bistro.

The restaurant was founded by Änna Hagstrom, who had never run a restaurant before plunging into the business in June 2022. The former lawyer and resident of this idyllic city decided to make a career shift and open a deliberate bistro in a former pizzeria.

One of the most wonderful things about Änna’s Bistro is that there is no traditional cuisine. There is a wood burning oven in the wall, and this is where all the cooking takes place. On the evening we visited, the menu was a mixture of meat and cheese snacks, salads, and two entrees, one vegetarian and one grilled chicken over farro with a buttery mound of charcuterie ($32). We ordered everything and it made for a lovely evening of quiet conversation and lingering over the plates.

The chicken was perfectly roasted, skin tender and succulent inside. Morels were a great bait for an earthy late spring, as the soil is just beginning to give off its bounty.

After dinner we strolled the city and climbed to the St. Croix River while admiring the wildflowers and savoring the last moments of the sun as the skies faded from lavender to grey. It is a perfect place for a special night out. (youth)

11 Jude Marine Street in St. Croix, annasbistromn.com

Pastries at Tous les Jours

Get ready to wait in line and have your heart broken at Tous les Jours. The first Minnesota franchise of a French-inspired bakery from South Korea opened recently in Richfield, and from the start there were lines creeping through the fancy store and out the door. It is impossible to know exactly what rewards you will find. The line moves cafeteria-style through an aisle of shelves; Once the employee fills the tray with bread or pastries, the customers personal tongs grab it. If you’ve moved a few steps to a refurbished mantel now, you’re not out of luck. Emotions run high here.

This is just one of Tous les Jours’ quirks. Another is the care and attention each customer puts into coordinating their tray as they pass through the bakery cabinets; All is squandered at the checkout, as the cashier puts everything in a paper bag, mixing sweet and savory, hot and cold. That’s how I ended up with the chocolate from a dipped croissant smeared on a curry croquette. It’s a curious abuse of dear treats destined to end up on TikTok minutes later, bags crumbled into the trash.

Still, there’s an abundance of charm here, and plenty of bakery items worth sampling, even if they’re not ones you’d have your heart set on (I’m looking at you, sweet rice cakes). Kimchi croquettes and custard cakes, mochi cheese and honey pancakes, delicious milk scones, red bean bread domes and cloud cake slices. Wash them down with an iced latte or matcha frappe, and get back in line for another round. (SJ)

6601 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield, 612-887-8668, tljus.com